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UAE residents watching more online videos: Facebook

People are spending five times longer looking at video than static content

The survey included 1,999 people aged 18+ in the UAE and UK who regularly watch short-form videos online. (Getty Images)

By Lubna Hamdan

Thu 09 Mar 2017 11:39 AM

A total of 79 percent of people in the UAE watched more videos online in 2016 compared to the previous year, according to a survey by Facebook IQ, which was done by research company Kantar Media.

The survey included 1,999 people aged 18+ in the UAE and UK who regularly watch short-form videos online.

It found that people in the UAE are 1.40 times more likely to watch video content on mobile devices than computers on a daily basis, with almost half of the people surveyed saying they find it easier to pay attention to video when viewed on a smartphone vs a desktop.

Furthermore, participants in both the UK and UAE spend five times longer looking at video than static content on Facebook and Instagram, the research revealed.

It also found 77 percent of people prefer to watch videos less than 10 minutes, confirming attention spans are getting shorter.

In addition, 65 percent of millennials surveyed said they watch large numbers of video clips in a row and 60 percent do it without consciously realising it.

Facebook recommended brands keep videos “short and sweet” as more than 1 in 3 people said seeing the logo of a brand in a video could get them to stop scrolling and watch.